All of the volunteers help with every subject, and with children of all ages. None of the volunteers specialize to help with a specific subject or age group. Whatever child shows up when you call the next name off of the waiting list is the child you help. Whichever subject they need help with is what you focus on for however long it will take to finish the given assignment. The older kids, ages from about 12-15, usually need help on math. The help I need to provide ranges anything from just double checking their work to explaining each step of a problem to them. Typical homework I see from the older kids that come in for homework help resembles the one below.
Although I do enjoy my time with the older kids, my favorite is helping the youngest age group of kids that come in (around the age of 5). Not only because their homework is much easier for me to help them with, but because of the tangents we end up going off on as well. The typical homework help with the kindergarten aged kids looks like the image below.
With the younger kids, I often find myself engaging in conversations about things like an extensive family history of various pets we've both owned, or why in the world I go to school eight hours away from my mom and dad. "Don't you miss the way your mom smells? I would miss the way my mom smells." That was an actual quote from a younger boy about the age of 5 or 6. If that doesn't hit you right in the feelings, I don't know what will. By volunteering at the library, it has only reassured my decision to go into the field of pediatrics as my future profession.
The little boy talking about missing the way his mom smells is just so cute! I agree with you; younger kids are just cuter and more fun to work with! With the lack of volunteers, it sounds like your help is probably really appreciated, and I'm sure you have made a huge impact on the kids you work with. It is great that this experience has been so positive for you and has helped confirm your choice in career. I hope the rest of your time volunteering is just as rewarding. I can't wait to read about your future experiences!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your nice comments!
DeleteIt's so cool that you are getting to really connect with some of the kids. That is, I'm sure, making a bigger impact on them than you know! You mentioned the shortage of volunteers. How many students and how many volunteers are usually there?
ReplyDeleteIt will vary from day to day. Some days I've gone, there has been around 6 volunteers with 10-15 children to help. Other days, I have been one of two volunteers with around 20 children to help.
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